


Under The Sea, You Belong With Me

by Obviously_Sherlocked_Anya



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Fluff, John's an adorable little soldier, Love, M/M, Memories, Merlock, Sherlock's a cute little merman, Sweet, Ugh, mermaid au, so much love, super sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-03
Updated: 2014-07-03
Packaged: 2018-02-07 07:45:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1890699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Obviously_Sherlocked_Anya/pseuds/Obviously_Sherlocked_Anya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sherlock remembers his and John's first meeting as he awaits the blessed arrival of his dearest human.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Under The Sea, You Belong With Me

**Author's Note:**

> I was going to write Parent!lock, but I, for some insane reason, thought of mermaids, and this happened. Sorry. <3 xx

The shimmer of the convulsing waves upon the shoreline gave a particularly iridescent flush to Sherlock's torso, flowing into a firm collection of scales, dripping along his twining tail with a masculine allure, a charm of the sea.

His curls were inky and dense, wildly spread across his features. They slumped over his eyes and ears, tickled the tip of his nose, even, and were too awfully thick to peer through.

His eyes were a fiery azure, sparkling with a flare of stormy skies and driftwood. They held a bitter jut of beauty, but were often icy in expression.

His lips were precise cuts of rubies, and strung into the finest form, a careful bow, full and enriching.

His skin was scrubbed pink for the occasion, but, more often than not, it was an alabaster expanse of concrete muscle and curvaceous accessories.

His starry-eyed, raven-bound tail was his most enticing piece of such a physically eloquent creature. Funnily enough, it was also his softest. The scales felt as the feathers of a bird were to a human's hand, comforting and fluttery. It glistened with the sparkling salt water which clung to it, and its tender fins, seared a tad at the ends in result to an unhealthy mishap with a human, were transparent and glittering with a sprinkling of turquoise. Sherlock was a clumsy merperson, however, and splashed much too enthusiastically once getting himself all high with delight.

Though, that delight, that utter joy, came from one human, one incredibly special human.

His name was John Hamish Watson, and Sherlock loved him very, very much.

The two unlikely companions found each other after a horrific ambushing upon Sherlock's coast, which terrified the poor dear. He'd never witnessed explosions and blood of innocent men and women, human or merperson. His elder brother, Mycroft, had tugged Sherlock back beneath the surface, but it had been only moments too late. Sherlock's eyes had fallen upon a young man falling back into the heated sand, writhing and shouting orders, whilst struggling through such intensive hurt.

.~*~.

_Sherlock wriggled away from his brother's grasp, and swam towards the devastating person, thankfully curled into the corner, sheltered by the jagged stones surrounding him. Sherlock settled himself in a small pool beside the man, and cautiously pressed his fingertips to his shoulder, which elicited a pained cry from the blond._

_"What has happened to you, stranger?"_

_"I..." He panted out noisy, laboured breaths, eyes clenched shut in absolute agony. "I was...shot...by a bullet..." he managed._

_"What is a bullet?" Sherlock inquired, as a gentle distraction, whilst his fingers meticulously worked, crafting an uncommon healing upon the bursting wound._

_"Y-You don't know?" He breathed out, bewildered._

_"I am not of your world."_

_"World? What are..." he paused, making a startled noise. He straightened up, and that frightened him further._

_"What did you do to me? The pain's disappeared! And... And the blood... B-But the bullet was lodged..."_

_Sherlock held up the odd metal, eyeing it inquisitively._

_"Is this a bullet?"_

_"Yes. I was shot with it."_

_"And it hurt you..."_

_"Yes."_

_"I did all I was able, but there is still a scar, unfortunately." Sherlock settled the bullet with a snug group of snails, and lifted his hand to trace the starburst wound, sighing disappointedly._

_"Thank you..."_

_It became evident that he was awaiting a title from Sherlock._

_"Sherlock. My name is Sherlock Holmes. And you are?"_

_"John Watson. Pleasure to meet you, Sherlock." He flashed an honest smile, and Sherlock could have melted into his tail._

_"Wait, where are your legs, mate?" John inquired, eyeing the darkened pool._

_"I have none. As I said, I am not of your world." Sherlock flapped his fins, and John gasped._

_"You're a...a mermaid?"_

_"Merman, I am not a woman."_

_“Ah, right, ‘course.” John rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed._

_“Are you a good human, Mister Watson?”_

_“M-Mister Watson? Nah, it’s just John, Mister Watson’s my father. And I consider myself a pretty nice bloke, sure.”_

_“Will you try and burn me?”_

_“What?”_

_Sherlock gave a heavy sigh, and lifted his fins, presenting the marks of an frantic torch._

_“Did a human do this to you?”_

_Sherlock nodded._

_“He was very unpleasant. Did it affect your, uh...swimming?”_

_“No. I recovered well.”_

_“Oh, fantastic. It’d be a shame if some stupid bloke ruined your best way of gettin’ round.”_

_Sherlock giggled, a smile lifting his lips._

_“You have a very humourous language, John.”_

_John flushed, and gave a bashful little laugh himself, eyes helplessly gazing at the merman._

_“I’ve got a city accent. It always sticks.”_

_“A city... Oh! Is that the small domestic companion animal humans favour? The one with pointed ears and fur? I have read about them!” Sherlock replied excitedly, eyes alit with curiosity._

_“A what?”_

_“You know, a city!”_

_John pondered that for a good moment, before making a small noise of understanding._

_“I think you mean ‘kitty’, Sherlock.” he corrected with a chuckle._

_“A kitty? Oh, that is how you pronounce it? Our dialects are very twisted down here.” He nodded his head towards the open ocean._

_“I see.”_

_“What’s a city, then?”_

_“A city is a big area with lots of people and buildings and all that.”_

_“Is it similar to the marketplace of my kingdom?”_

_“Possibly, yeah.”_

_“Would you like to see it?”_

_“I’d love to, but unfortunately, humans are no good at breathing underwater for long. We need air.”_

_Sherlock waved his hand, and an rushing wind pressed against John’s mouth, swirling until a solid bubble was concealing his lips and nose._

_“There. Now you can breathe for as long as you wish. Come along, it’s fun!” John grinned, and stripped off his tattered vest, along with his military-issued trousers, until he was in nothing but his neutral, grey boxers, and Sherlock hummed approvingly, giving a playful wink. He got himself back to the shoreline, and John eagerly followed, swallowing to the chilling water that lapped at his hands and knees. Sherlock dived under, and John, taking a large gulp, mimicked Sherlock’s actions, traversing far below land. Hell, the sea was enormous. His eyes went big, and upon realising that the bubble was truly easing his breathing, swam around childishly, exploring everything as he sunk deeper and deeper._

_“This is amazing!” he exclaimed, only to blink repeatedly, astonished by his own voice. “Wait, I can talk with this thing, too?”_

_“Of course, John,” Sherlock laughed brightly, and reached for one of John’s hands, entwining their fingers languidly. “You can do whatever you’d like down here.”_

_“‘Cept anythin’ involving a tail. I’ve just got these,” John kicked his legs, floating marvellously. He couldn’t believe it was all so simple._

_“Mm, you look better as a human, a tail would ruin the appeal.” Sherlock mumbled absently, only to have his cheeks darken furiously to the realisation that he’d just blurted that aloud._

_“I-I, what I meant was, uh, we—” John quieted him with a single kiss, and Sherlock truly did melt this time round. His arms wound around John’s neck, and held him securely, whilst his tail curled near the human’s legs, keeping their bodies tightly pressed together._

_“Mm, you’re cute, Sherl,” John whispered fondly against Sherlock’s lips, before kissing him again, eyes fluttering in utter contentment. Sherlock gasped gently, fingers toying with the soft hairs at John’s nape. John stroked his large, callused hands up and down Sherlock’s back, and made a tender noise of liking. Sherlock’s heart tripped over itself, it was so elated._

_After they had, finally, managed to tear themselves away from one another, Sherlock rested their foreheads together, sighing peacefully. John brushed their noses together, and his eyes were bubbling with a sincerity Sherlock had never experienced before._

_“Well, uh... That was good.” the blond murmured, uncertain of Sherlock’s opinions on himself._

_“Wrong.”_

_“Huh?” John quirked a brow, perplexed._

_“It was brilliant,” Sherlock corrected, grinning foolishly._

_“Such a little tease,” John grabbed at him, but Sherlock swam backwards, shaking his head._

_“You’ve got to catch me first, Watson!” He hurried off into the twinkling depths, and John glided along after him, happier than he’s been since he was first accepted into his unversity of choice. Sherlock had that glamour to him, and it made him much more exceptional than anyone John had fallen head over heels for before, and that was a simply sublime feeling._

.~*~.

The good doctor strolled along the emptied beach, hands stuffed in his pockets, and his chest bare. There was no efficient reasoning to toss a vest, or anything of the like, on, not when he was visiting his dearest love. Sherlock, however, had settled himself upon one of the smaller rocks, nearest to the washing waves, to keep his tail sea-shined and hydrated. He, after so long of waiting, caught John in his peripheral vision, and lifted his arm, waving to his darling with a fond smile.

“John!”

A grin tugged on John’s lips once Sherlock greeted him, and he jogged over, stripping his trousers instinctively, and settling down beside Sherlock, giving him a warm, honey-sweet kiss as a ‘hello’.

“How have you been, my love?” Sherlock inquired happily, tail swishing as he rested his head upon John’s broad, uninjured shoulder.

“I’ve been lovely. Missed you like hell, though. My shifts have become more demanding at the clinic, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologise, it’s perfectly all right. As long as you still come to me, whenever you’re able, I’m happy.”

“And I always do just that.”

“And I’m forever thankful.”

John kissed him again, sighing against those velvety lips.

“How have you been? Is Mycroft doing well?”

“Mycroft has been elected to join our council.”

“Has he now? Fantastic. I should drop in, you know, give him my congrats.”

“He’d like that. He talks of you often, along with your friend, Mister Lestrade.”

“Greg? Mycroft’s been talking about Greg to you?”

“I believe he’s fallen in love, the poor dear.”

“Oh, that’s rich!” John laughed, so immensely pleased with that.

“Is it amusing?”

“No, no, it’s great. Greg would love ‘im. He loves gingers, firstly, and I think he’s got a thing for freckles. Plus your brother is perfectly in line with Greg’s personality. Two peas in a pod, they are.”

“That is true. We should invite him, sometime.”

“Let’s introduce you to him, firstly. Might be a little freaked out by a whole ‘underground mermaid land’, you know?”

“Very true, my darling.”

Sherlock was still for a lingering moment, simply gazing at his beloved. He never knew how vast the complexities of love truly were, but with John, they all become entirely clear. And Sherlock had never felt anything as good as that. He twined his and John’s fingers together with a special adoration, before casting the familiar bubble upon John’s mouth and nose, as per usual.

“Let’s go, then, I’ve got a new mattress I believe you’ll favour,” Sherlock offered suggestively, and John hopped up, leading them to the water’s edge enthusiastically. There’d been a potion exposed many years in the past that gave the merpeople temporary human forms, for emergency purposes. Sherlock always decided that sex was an emergency purpose, and John agreed wholeheartedly. Sherlock slipped into the languorous waves, and John eased himself down into the smooth crinkles of ocean also, content. Sherlock led him down below, and John discovered, every single time, that his heart always felt its strongest, just like this. With Sherlock and the water, right where he was always supposed to be. 


End file.
